Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Marriage Changed the Course of Prince Harry’s Life in This Major Way
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex’s life has changed majorly in the last few years. He went from being single to dating Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to getting married and having a son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor. This year, was perhaps the biggest change for the royal as he and Meghan decided to leave their roles as working royals. But all of these changes and Harry’s unexpected path in life all wouldn’t have come to fruition had it not been for his brother Prince William’s marriage to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Prince Harry’s previous relationship
Before Harry met Meghan, he had a quite serious relationship with Cressida Bonas from 2012 to 2014. With Bonas and Harry, there was no question as to whether she was suitable for the prince. She came from quite an aristocratic background as well. Her mother is Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, the daughter of an English earl, and her father, Jeffrey Bonas’s family owns textile mills.
She was widely regarded as a good match for the Prince, but their on and off romance came to a permanent halt after William and Kate got married.
In his book Battle of Brothers, royal expert Robert Lacey reveals that after the wedding, Harry and Bonas spoke and ended things.
“In 2011, after more comings and goings, she finally decided to go—and it was, ironically, Kate and William’s grand and glorious wedding that spring that did it for her,” he wrote, according to The Mirror. “According to a friend, she told Harry that she could never make the sacrifices she had witnessed Kate making, particularly when it came to molding her life around the unremitting attention of the press.”
These reports were further cooberated by royal biographer, Angela Levin, in her book Harry: Conversations with the Prince.
“A friend revealed that seeing the enormity and pomp of the day convinced Chelsy that she and Harry had been right to separate,” she wrote, according to the outlet. “Although they had a lot in common, she saw clearly that because they came from such different worlds it could never have worked, especially as she valued her privacy and guarded it so carefully.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first meeting
Meghan and Harry met through a mutual friend and went on their first date in 2016 at The Dean Street Townhouse. The date went decidedly well.
“At the end of the evening, which had lasted almost three hours, Harry and Meghan went their separate ways,” royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in their book, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family. “Despite the palpable attraction between them, there was no goodbye kiss, no expectation, just a hint that something was there and they hoped to see each other again soon.”
The two moved quickly and just a few dates later, they were traveling to Africa together.
“Six weeks later Harry said he wanted to take her on a trip,” the book reads. “He told her to arrive in London and he would handle the rest. Having flown in from Toronto, Meghan spent one night with Harry at Kensington Palace before boarding a flight to Johannesburg the next morning.”
In 2018, they were married and in 2019, they had Archie, and all that may have never happened if it weren’t for Prince William and Kate’s marriage.
